Have you looked at another photographer’s images and wondered where they find all those fabulous locations? Did you know that many of those locations are nothing special? It’s true! By using good camera angles and sometimes the magic of Photoshop you can ‘create’ those beautiful locations too! CMpro Krista Campbell is here today to share with us how she takes a location from blah to amazing!
how to create stunning locations
When I first discovered this passion called photography, I would always admire those lovely photographs that photographers had on their blogs of children and families in gorgeous fields of wildflowers. At the time, I lived in the city- Phoenix, Arizona, the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Wildflower fields and large fields of tall grass and wheat were few and far between, so I learned to create the illusion of lush fields and wildflowers with my photography.
Since then, I have relocated to Northwest Arkansas. Spring has finally sprung here in the south and I took my daughter out last week for some magical spring pictures. You can create magical spring images, even without lush fields and blankets of wildflowers. Let me show you how.
Scout locations daily.
Be a diligent location-scout… scout often and everywhere. This first location is at the entrance to my housing development. It’s not a lush field, but actually a large empty lot.
This location is in an empty lot across the street from my house. It’s nothing special, but I noticed these small purple flowers the other day and decided to photograph my daughter in the middle of this small patch to create the illusion of a field of wildflowers.
Think small.
When scouting the perfect location, you don’t always need to look for large areas. Think small. This small patch of grass at the top of a small hill makes the perfect backdrop for magical images. Be sure to look at the background. When I moved slightly to the left, I was able to avoid the house in the background and get more of the trees directly behind my daughter.
Get low.
You can create the illusion of a lush location by getting down low. When you get down low, grass begins to look taller and more lush.
Here are 2 shots of my location- absolutely nothing special. Can you see how I was thinking “small”?
Shoot wide open.
Or close to it… Shooting wide open allows you to blur not-so-perfect backgrounds. Toggle your focus points and focus on one of your subject’s eyes so that your subject is in perfect focus and everything else starts to melt away. Shooting wide open creates a magical feel to your images.
Put your subject’s back to the sun.
Mmmm, I love me some sweet, buttery backlight! Shoot when the sun is low in the horizon (usually around an hour before sunset is best) and put your subject’s back to the sun. Shooting wide open into the backlight helps to create the magical feel in your spring images. Meter for your subject’s face and bring a reflector if you like. Most of the time I do not have the time to pull out my reflector, so I will throw on a white t-shirt or add light to my subject’s face in Photoshop.
Utilize the power of Photoshop.
Don’t be afraid to add a little magic in post-processing. Because I was shooting wide open and exposed for my subject’s face, my background became blown-out.
No problem! I use my clone stamp tool and a cloud overlay to add interest and drama to the background. This particular cloud overlay is from Florabella’s Classic Workflow & Hazy Skies Action Set, but I have also created my own by taking pictures of clouds in my own backyard.
Use the clone stamp tool to add more flowers to a field, straighten a horizon, or remove distracting elements from the background.
I love adding magical light to my images. Sunbursts are created when shooting with a high f-stop of f/16 or higher. Since I shot these images wide open, the sun peeking just above the horizon was smooth and creamy, and I was not able to create a sunburst effect with the sun. I added a starburst in post-processing. This sunburst is from Nichole Van’s Flares & Sunbursts. Adding a sunburst adds just the right amount of drama and enhances that magical feel to your images. The trick to natural looking photos is to add sunbursts only where the natural sun is peeking through in the background. Adding a sun effect where there was no sun or on a cloudy day can often lead to an unnatural looking photo. Be mindful of the light in your image before adding a light texture or overlay.
As the temperatures begin to rise and that glorious sun begins to shine just a little bit brighter and warmer, I hope that these tips inspire you to go out and take your own magical, spring-inspired images.
Thank you Krista for this wonderful article! Do you have any great tips for creating a great location? Please share with us in the comments below!
Krista Campbell, Arkansas
CMpro
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Krista is a lover of vintage props, golden fields, backlight and momarazzi- extraordinaire to a sassy 4-year old who dons pink tutus and cowgirl boots. She is an on-location, portrait photographer serving Northwest Arkansas. She is also a vendor on ClickinMoms and teaches online, post-processing workshops called Digital Darkroom Secrets.
Wow- that's some amazing stuff! :)
this is a great tutorial and so true,,people think you have to have big spaces but there is tons of little spaces shoved here there that will work for anyone that is great..i have seen small pretty spots behind business buildings in our small town and just driving down the road,,Krista you are great,,always enjoy everything you write//
Love this article! thanks!!!!
Awesome photos and great tips. Thanks!
Wow, love this, thank you so much xxxx
Wonderful tips Krista!
This is a wonderful article full of great ideas, Krista. Thank you!! :)
Love these tips!!
This is a good article on how to use space effectively, but as far as editing the images go, it's a little much. The SOOC images are cool and underexposed. If you get it right in camera, you won't have to do all that in post.
Really, really helpful …. thank you so much!!
This is a wonderful read! Very informative.. thank you!!
WOW WOW WOW!!! Amazing!! Thanks you so so so so much for sharing!!! <3 <3 <3
awesome write up. thanks for the tips.
I'm curious to hear whether you still consider your final product a photograph. To me, it's beautiful as mixed media, but it's no longer a pure photograph after all the changes you make to it.
oh wow! stunning! can't wait to take a boo at your website/blog later tonight after my lil terror is in bed :) Thanks for sharing
Thanks! This a great tutorial!
Wow Krista! So fantastic and helpful. Thank you for being so generous to share all this info with us.
Wow! What a great blog post! You are so sweet and generous for sharing these tips with us! I love your work! Thank you for sharing :)
Great article Krista, your photos are beautiful <3 Thank you so much for sharing :)
I think your processing is beautiful!! The colors are just gorgeous. I believe photographer is an artist, each is special and unique. If we all have the same processing style, then the artistry of photography becomes blend and boring. Thank you for showing us how to see beauty in most unlikely places!!
Your work is just stunning, as always, Krista! You never cease to amaze me with the beauty of your work. Your processing always enhances your image perfectly!
Fantastic blog post Krista, so insightful. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it for us. :)
Thank you for this wonderful article. It's nice to hear another photographer doing the same thing I do. It makes me feel I'm on the right path. lol Great story and great pictures.
Thanks for sharing your techniques, Krista! Especially your before and afters – very inspiring!
The ideas are good but the SOOCs are poorly exposed. Editing isn't for "fixing" poor exposure
thank you for great tips!
Wow, awesome post and your images are fabulous!!~
Thank you so much for the wonderful tips Krista!!~
Sincerely,
Melinda
Awesome tutorial! Photography is an art and you are a wonderful artist………thank you for sharing!
Wonderful tutorial, This will really benefit my photography.
Krista! Thanks so much for these tips. I live in incredibly beautiful countryside, including stone walls, and yet I haven't really scouted locations yet. Now I feel I know how and will do.
Why a white T-shirt instead of a reflector? I don't understand what the white T-shirt does and how it actually works I guess?
Everything else has been a HUGE HELP! Thanks so much!
Candis, wearing a white t shirt acts as a natural reflector and bounces light back into your subject's face when shooting in backlight.
Wow thank you so much for this! Great advice and perfect for me to keep in mind on shoots. I will be on the look out for 'small' beautiful locations from now on!
Wow! Thank you so much for this tutorial! It has encouraged and inspired me to see what stunning locations I can create near my home in the city!
can't wait to try these ideas!
Such a nice post, sometimes we have an amazing location that can be as close as our backyard just by thinking "small". Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you so much for these tips! I'm learning and I'm so glad I found this article!
In the last photo before its edited her face is dark and then after its edited her face has a bright and beautiful color. How is this done? I have been trying to figure out and cant seem to on my own.
Gotta love the snobby comments about exposure, editing, etc…
Beautiful work from a talented photographer and thanks for the informative article!
Great Tip! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Krista
How do I get a pic like the very last one. That is beautiful, the light on her face compared to the first one is amazing. Thank you for the awesome article. Share more please.
Reading an article with SOOC and ‘after’ photos brings me to the floor with absolute screaming joy! I am so over critical of my shots thinking they’re flat, uninteresting and most of times boring. Krista, you have changed the way I see my photos now – truthfully what is needed is a bit of PS magic. Would you share your PS techniques – what you did for your last photo for example? Would soooo love to see it! Great article – thank you!